Friday, September 16, 2011

Clark Stevenson and the "Where are the Parents?!" Question

It’s a pretty normal after something goes wrong in the world
of kids and young adults to ask “Where are the parents!?” Is it a fair question
to ask in the case of Clark “Clarky” Stevenson, the 15 year old boy who was
stabbed so severely at 2:30am out in the streets of Winnipeg that he later died?
Is it fair to ask why a 15 year old kid, and his young attackers were out
roaming the streets of Winnipeg at such an ungodly hour? Where exactly were the
parents? Did the parents know these kids were out, and what kind of mischief
they were up to? Something has gone terribly wrong here, but what is it?

According to an
interview with the CBC “Jenna Wirch, a friend of Clark Stevenson's, said she
believes a lack of funding for youth programs has failed him and other troubled
young people.”? Sniff, sniff. Do you smell that? You’re right. It does appear
to be the smell of a scape goat! It is fair to say that Clarke lived in a rough
‘hood. Are community programs important? Yes. Is a 15 year old kid not being
out on the streets at night important? Yes! Can a program keep a kid at home
late at night so he isn’t roaming the streets getting stabbed? Good question,
no? So, how much responsibility should be on the parent’s shoulders and how
much goes to the community? It seems that the job of keeping a kid at home falls
squarely on the shoulders of the parents. If they don’t take responsibility,
what can be done? Does the city have to step in with curfews for young kids to
prevent them being out on the streets stabbing one another at 2:30am? If so, won’t
that further move funds away from programs and into policing? And, then does it
not, by default, put the responsibility of parenting on to the shoulders of the
city?

Now, let’s rewind for a moment to earlier in the summer when
riots broke out in London. Although initially being sparked by the shooting of
young man by police, before long areas of that city were torn apart by what
appeared to be absolute senseless violence, looting and vandalism. The same
story was used to explain what had happened there as in the Clarke case, when
some said that the riots are the result of drastic cutbacks to community
programing in low income areas which have left a generation disenfranchised,
living without direction and, in many cases, bored. But, the question was
raised over and over again, by the media, police and the community, “Where were
the parents?” Why were kids, some of them very young, able to be out on the
streets at late hours taking part in such serious crimes? Who is in charge of
keeping kids in, where they will be safe? Were there no parents wondering “Where
is my son tonight, and why does he suddenly have a large screen TV in his
room?”? Police took to the airwaves, asking parents to step in and keep their
kids at home. And it seemed like a reasonable request.

So, here we have what seems to be senseless violence
happening in two parts of the world with the same reasoning given for both.
Lack of community programming is being blamed and the “Where are the parents?”
question is being asked. Is it fair to say that both have validity? Yes. The
community as a whole does have to look at what it can do to help areas of the
city where there are issues with poverty, gangs, violence and drugs. But,
ultimately, a community and community programs can only do so much. Family and
friends are in mourning, and it’s a tough time to be asking questions, but, it
really does have to be asked. Could this tragedy have been prevented simply by
someone, a parent, a guardian, an aunt and uncle, or whoever, making sure that 15
year old Clarke Stevenson was in his bed at 2:30am instead of out in the
streets fighting?

UPDATE: So, today, it appears that an arrest has been made.
They have charged a 14 year old boy with the 2nd degree murder of
Clark Stevenson. How on earth does this happen? Where the heck are the
parents of THIS kid?! How is a 14 year old kid able to be out on the streets of Winnipeg at
2:30 in the morning, with a knife, stabbing another kid?? It makes no sense to
me. Something needs to change. But what?

About Me

I like to think of myself as a writer. I have been dabbling in comedy. I love to travel. I do some photography. I'm a stay-at-home dad. And most of my blog posts are boring, insignificant rants. ENJOY!